Data from both analyst houses gave Xiaomi a narrow lead over Samsung in the final quarter of 2017, with 27 percent and 25 percent, respectively, according to Canalys — and 25 percent versus 23 percent, according to Counterpoint.

Counterpoint included year-long figures, which conclude that Samsung (24 percent) is ahead of Xiaomi (19 percent) over the longer timeframe. A glance at the previous year's figures shows that Xiaomi has closed what was once a significant gap with its rival.

Samsung claims Xiaomi didn't take the title of the largest smartphone vendor in India, thus directly refuting the findings published by research firm Canalys on Wednesday. The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer remains adamant that it's still the top handset company in the South Asian country "by a distance." Samsung backed its claims by citing an older report from GfK covering a three-month period ending November 30th which states the firm had a 40 percent volume share and 45 percent value share of the Indian smartphone market in terms of sales to consumers. The tech giant also explicitly proclaimed itself a leader in every handset segment in India, from entry-level devices to ultra-premium offerings like the Galaxy Note 8.